Crazy Seduction(erotica)

Minkah waited until the coast was clear and no eyes were on her before switching back to her Human form. She stepped out of the shadows by the tree next to the bench and looked to the front door where her quarry had gone.

He wasn’t at all like she’d expected. Her impression of the smaller, timid man in the large body had been strengthened by their encounter. If he’d followed her to the alley, she would have tranquilized him and stuffed him away in the council’s dungeon. She wouldn’t have heard his confession. He was going to be a father, and he wasn’t ready. He seemed to have endured some unresolved trauma involving a child. That had shaken his confidence badly.

He’d shown her kindness and didn’t try to pet her or pick her up. Instead, he’d held out his hand and let her set the pace. She’d tested his magic with a taste, and that made her fur stand on end. He’d just smiled at her, but at that moment, he could have done anything to her as her senses were overwhelmed by a new kind of magic. Only the arrival of a new threat jarred her free from her paralysis, and she’d fled.

The woman who spoke to Henry–her quarry–was one of the altered Humans she read about in the dossier. What was missing from the file was a description of her powers. Minkah witnessed the woman spot a predator that even she’d missed. It was another red-eyed sound tracker. Fear shot through her, and she didn’t like that.

What happened next was beyond her experience, and if it hadn’t been for the extended color range her feline eyes were capable of, she would have missed it. The woman somehow projected high-intensity beams of ultraviolet laser light from her eyes. The red-eyed monster seemed to be particularly sensitive to this wavelength and found it intensely painful. It fled but sustained multiple wounds before it escaped.

She overheard Henry and Dayshia talking after the woman drove the creature away and was shocked to learn they knew its identity. It was their missing friend, Roger Jensen, the one the Hidden Races Council had been hunting.

Now, unless there were other examples of this creature In New York, she highly suspected Roger Jensen was their serial killer. The one she’d killed in the nuclear facility caused comparable damage to the other assassin as this killer was doing to its victims. It consumed its prey.

Minkah was calling tonight a success. She’d gathered intel on the target. She’d witnessed the capabilities of one of his Wild Magic powered friends.

She also had a lead on the serial killer, which she’d hand over to Lise-Anne Hoek.

It was a good night.

Carl watched his dinner guest crossing the restaurant, drawing every eye in the room. He felt the strong pull on his attention too, and a stirring down below as he imagined what it might be like to take the Succubus to bed. He frowned slightly as he couldn’t recall ever feeling such a strong effect from her kind before. The woman paused in her journey to his table, and he almost felt compelled to join her. His frown deepened before he forced his self-assured smile back in place.

She was speaking to three dark-skinned women at a table by the window, and while they were all smiling, Carl picked up a change in the room’s tension level.

He saw Camila respectfully bowing her head to the centermost woman, and he realized the trio must also be Succubi. He could never read their age by just looking, but the one in the middle must rank higher than Camila for her to earn the gesture. Carl hadn’t felt anything from these three. They were either suppressing their nature, or Camila was pushing hers to the max, perhaps to impress him.

He glanced around the restaurant at the other patrons. There weren’t many tonight, maybe three other occupied tables. He had three of his men sitting at tables of their own, as well. This was just a precaution you took when visiting a territory under someone else’s control.

None of the customers were Human, this being a very exclusive restaurant, and all were behind their glamors. He saw everyone was aware of Camila’s arrival.

After a few more words and another head bow, Camila moved on to approach his table.

He stood and smiled at her, leaning in to press his cheeks to hers.

“Thank you for joining me for dinner tonight, Ms. Villamor.”

“Please, call me Camila,” she purred, and he felt that in his pants as well.

She smiled at him again, and he couldn’t help but feel the impact of that brilliant display. He glanced over at the table of three and saw them frowning angrily in Camila’s direction. They suddenly stood and marched out of the restaurant.

He looked back to his guest with a raised eyebrow as he knew she was also aware of their departure.

“Any trouble?” he asked delicately.

“An internal matter,” she said mildly, indicating she wouldn’t speak of Succubi issues with him. He nodded and gestured to a chair he held for her. She sat, and he moved to his seat.

He personally didn’t consider Succubi, or Incubi for that matter, in the same category as the Hidden Races’ real hunters. Considering their diet, he equated them much lower on the food chain, closer to leeches than sharks.

Upon reflection, with the force of will rolling off the woman before him, he was willing to concede her the status of apex leech. This thought helped push back some of the uneasiness he’d begun to feel.

“I love your Cajun accent!” Camila sighed. “It’s a breath of fresh air.”

Carl smiled and tipped his head to her in thanks. “You’ve managed to keep some of your Spanish alive as well.”

Camila nodded slightly. “One of the costs of moving from place to place is that it puts a strain on the valuable but intangible aspects, like accents and cultural traditions,” she said a little sadly.

“Something lost, and something gained, I suppose,” he agreed.

The waiter arrived with the menus, and Carl took the initiative to order an expensive bottle of red wine.

Camila glanced at him as the wine he’d selected wouldn’t pair well with the salad she was considering. He seemed oblivious to his faux pas. She ordered the salad anyway. Carl chose a steak, rare, and the waiter left.

“This restaurant is best known for its preparation of meat. Yet, you went for a salad?” he asked with a smile.

“The difference is that I eat to enjoy the flavors and textures, not for sustenance,” she said with a small smile. “I took care of the latter before I arrived.”

“Ah yes,” he nodded as if she’d shared some wisdom.

Camila returned to a point she’d been making earlier. “What pulls you away from New Orleans? I understand your business is doing well there.”

“Yes, business is good! So good I’m looking for new pastures to add,” he boasted.

She smiled. “It’s my understanding that such activities usually come with some strife from those already in those pastures.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, it can, which is why it’s not done without first establishing a strong base. Only then should one set their sights on new territory.”

The waiter arrived with the wine and served them both after Carl pronounced it delicious. They were soon alone once more.

“And what territory might you be setting your sights on?” Camila asked.

“New York, of course!” he said with a gesture of his arm to encompass everything.

Camila fixed her eyes on the man. “Which part?”

“All of it! Eventually.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

She relaxed a little and raised an eyebrow. “Ambitious. Where will you start?”

Carl raised his glass. “At its heart, of course. Manhattan.”

Camila took a sip of the wine and did her best not to spit it in his face. It was bitter and heavy, much like the man who ordered it.

“Ah. That’s a pasture that’s been tended to very well for a long time. The surrounding pastures have been peacefully tended for an equally long period, and all get along in a very civil way. I’ve certainly not heard any rumblings of discontent from the other communities regarding how these areas are being managed.”

Carl shrugged. “Other communities’ concerns are their concerns. This is… an internal matter.” He smiled as he used Camila’s words against her.

“Unless it threatens to expose us all,” she clarified.

Carl fixed his eyes on Camila. He didn’t like her implied threat. He didn’t want someone like her telling him he had to give up on his expansion plan. He put a smile on his face.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time. I control New Orleans and a large portion of southern Louisiana. I think that gives me the authority to say I know what I’m doing when it comes to territory acquisition and management.”

“With all due respect, New Orleans is not New York City. The comparative population densities alone set them worlds apart–”

Carl raised a hand to stop her from continuing, then waved it dismissively. “I didn’t invite you here to review the merits and challenges of the plan. I’m aware that Roy Duncan, leader of the Manhattan Pack, works for your company, VRL. I wanted to assure you that when I take over the territory, the security responsibilities his team is currently fulfilling for VRL will continue without interruption. Additionally, unlike Roy’s little operation, de Bellisle Enterprises includes a law office to cover VRL’s legal needs.”